As a twenty-something who is constantly connected in pretty much every way, I tend to give almost any social media outlet a chance. Even Pinterest, which I sort of hated on at first, was lucky enough to have me as a new user eventually (just because I needed to find cute Bridesmaid hair-dos, I swear). But there is one new app that I refuse to join and, for some reason, is all the rage with my college-aged friends right now. This app, called Tinder, is apparently the newest way for college kids to find a new love interest. I’m not sure about you, but when I was in college, the last thing I worried about was finding my next perfect cyber-love connection… But I guess with all of the stress college kids face today, it’s necessary. (Cue: sarcastic-face emoji)

Anyways, to give you a general idea about Tinder, I was able to attain some inside scoop from an anonymous friend who uses the app for fun (don’t worry, she already knows I’m a hater). When you sign up, you have to link it to your Facebook account, which eliminates any potential “Catfishing,” and then you choose up to five photos from your account to appear on the Tinder app. It has a pretty plain layout, using a combination of features, the main one being “likes,” from Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

According to the website, which should not be confused with the blog website tinder.com, it “finds out who likes you nearby, and connects you with them if you’re also interested. It’s all anonymous until someone you like, likes you back.” In other words, you set your radius, from 10 to 100 miles, depending on how far you want the Tinder GPS to travel. Next, it gives you random people within that area who match interests that you’ve set on Facebook, and you can either “like” or “dislike” these individuals. If you happen to come across someone who you “liked” that has already “liked” you back, you’re able to message this person, and then the rest is up to you.

As if creepy, privacy-invasive apps weren’t already going overboard…

I personally think online dating websites, like Match.com, are enough if you’re REALLY trying to find a date. Apps like Tinder are just another way for people to eventually end up getting harassed, stalked, and maybe even something worse. And yes, like I mentioned, my friend is only using the app to “see who she finds on Tinder,” (which I have to agree, is actually funny to see what random people we know that are desperate enough to sign up) but how many naive youngsters are using the application seriously? My main concern lies with people who AREN’T in college, ie: high school kids and younger, who are already exposed to WAY more than I ever was at that age.

Enough with my rant… What do YOU think of Tinder? Is it going overboard or is it just another stupid fun app to use to pass the time? Sound off here or on our Facebook/Twitter pages!

~B

P.S: My aforementioned anonymous source just sent me this text as I was finishing up this post, “I JUST GOT MY BROTHER ON TINDER!” If that’s not a cue to delete, I don’t know what is.